How to Decorate Your Office Space with Color

So, let’s talk about colors that improve your working environment. Favorite shades are rooted in our experiences/cultural upbringing, and the shades we surround ourselves with every day affect our moods and productivity. Working in a dark room with little light? You probably won’t get much done. Trying to sleep in a neon-pink bedroom? That won’t be easy. Extreme examples, but you get the point.

Our designer Sara Toujier explores the impact of color’s saturation and intensity in working spaces in the gallery above.

Text by Anna Gray

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Flair that goes beyond the stapler.

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Bright colors, like the pops of hot pink in the offices of Nylon Magazine, create a stimulating, energetic environment. The hue is a "wake up!" color if we've ever seen one.

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Color themes

Spruce up your office’s blank-canvas white walls with hues of purple and fuchsia, like this SF space. The bright pops of color will perk you up and ready you for a day of full productivity (and cheer!).

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Furnishing hues

And sometimes, it isn’t about wall colors at all but the soothing properties of furnishing hues. Take these copper chairs for example. You’ll never walk into an office that looks like this and feel anything other joy. At the very least, you’ll be impressed at how shiny they are.

Poppy pastels

If you’re going for a similar but different midcentury vibe, consider poppy pastels. Kelly Oxford’s office is an amazing shade of greenish-blue (Antigua Aqua by Benjamin Moore, to be exact) that lends itself to a bright but not overbearing work environment.

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Focus colors

Blogger extraordinare Megan Collins and her Homepolish designer Shelly went for a deep, soothing navy for her home office’s accent wall. The '50s "Mad Men" blue is the perfect shade for a men’s blog writer.

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Accent walls

If you can’t change the color of your entire office, try an accent wall, like the funky foliage wallpaper, used in the offices of VHX. Dark green has been known to denote control and responsibility as well as wealth and prestige. Startups, #amirite?

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Colorful accents

Well placed colorful accents can have similar effects. For example, blue-patterned wallpaper in the Design Sponge office enhances the pop of tangerine-colored accessories. This complementary color scheme creates a lively environment, perfect to get the juices flowing at a creative powerhouse.

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True blue

Color can impact us in a multitude of ways, influencing how we feel and act. In the offices of our Homepolish client Regina, a psychologist, saturated blue was strategically placed on the wall behind the sofa to create a sense of security. Historically, blue denotes wisdom and confidence; sensations that are paramount when you’re unloading all of your secrets to a near stranger.